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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952912">too much blood</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/criminallyrobin/pseuds/criminallyrobin'>criminallyrobin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>familia forti me facit (collection) [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, MayDaisy feels, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Multi, Other, Parent Melinda May, Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Sickfic, dad phil, nobody dies pinky promise, sometime in season 3 or 4 but Trip is alive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:16:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,791</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/criminallyrobin/pseuds/criminallyrobin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Daisy, May and Trip are on a simple 084 retrieval mission when May gets seriously injured. This entire thing is pureeee MayDaisy family feels and hurt/comfort, sprinkled with a dash of Philinda and Platonic or romantic Daisy/Trip.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Melinda May &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Antoine Triplett, minor: - Relationship, or it could be read as platonic Skye|Daisy Johnson/Antoine Triplett</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>familia forti me facit (collection) [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2293547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>too much blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>MUCH THANKS TO BAD_ASH10 FOR THEIR BETA WORK + AMAZING SUPPORT &lt;3 CHECK OUT HER LATEST FIC 'EVERYTHING'S CHANGING'!</p><p>Okay so like lollll I got diagnosed with T1D and i was in the hospital for a bit and like life is so wack rn, so if you follow any of my other stories they may not get updated for awhile, sorry lovlies. So basically I'm so blind right now and because of COvid I can't go to the optometrist for weeks so I'm literally blind for weeks. So I'm very glad I had this one prestored, and since I couldn't read it really to edit it Bad_ash10 helped so so much so yay (:</p><p>TL;DR: I'm blind and need glasses that I can't get bc covid + I have diabetes and my pancreas broke and everything is hectic so no updates on my WIPS for awhile. That includes: 'One little Family', 'Start Over', 'As long as you need (I'm here)' and '100 oneshots (:'. Thanks for your patience!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Level 2 is clear,” Daisy heard May crackle through the comms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy,” she responded, maintaining her defensive pose with her icer up, heading slowly through the dark, cold, hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She, May, and Trip were exploring a suspected 084 that was being hidden on an oil rig in the Pacific. They’d had to go stealth to avoid detection, which meant no quinjets. They’d had to be dropped off by a submarine, and any extraction team was hours away, but they had scuba gear in case they had to abandon the rig and jump into the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Level 3 is clear,” Trip relayed. “Where is everyone? Don’t people work here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe the 084 scared them off,” Daisy mused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Or maybe it killed them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder how it got here,” Trip said. “Hydra? How else?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno.” After a few more boring minutes she asked, “Hey, Trip, where should we go for lunch tomorrow? I'm thinking-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Comms </span>
  <em>
    <span>clear</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” both Coulson and May said at the same time, and Trip chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy pouted but kept silent. She kept moving through the hallways, looking for anything out of place. A couple of paces after a fork in the hallway, she noticed a rusty door creaked open, the first she’d seen not locked. It also had a putrid smell coming out of the room. “I might’ve found something,” she reported on comms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quietly, she nudged the door open, and gaped at the horrific scene inside. “Holy shit,” she murmured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before lay a literal pile of 10 or so bodies, all with slit throats. “Hey, I found where the workers went; they’re dead. For a little while by the looks of it,” she noticed, nauseous, looking at how their faces and hands were pale and how the blood had crusted up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nobody responded. “Uh, hello? You copy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing but silence. Daisy began to feel something akin to dread. “Fuck,” she muttered, and kept moving, quicker and tenser.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cleared the whole level before heading down to Level 2 to check on May.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was a mistake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy walked out of the stairwell, looking around for her SO, feeling a tad frantic. </span>
  <span>“May?” She called out in a hushed whisper. The hallway was dark and empty, so Daisy kept moving, the pit of dread chasming larger and larger in her stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She circled around the corner, expecting,</span>
  <em>
    <span> hoping</span>
  </em>
  <span>, to see her mentor checking out some room or still prowling the halls, but instead she found a small body with long black hair and a SHIELD issued uniform, almost impossibly crumpled in a pool of blood in the corner at the end of the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy blanched. She ran over, keeping her gun out. “May!” She screamed, momentarily forgetting to be quiet. She balked at the sheer amount of blood surrounding the woman. “No, no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, May.” Kneeling down, she tried to suppress her panic as she carefully turned the agent to face her, giving an internal sigh of relief when she realized she still had a pulse. “Fuck,” she swore as she saw the extent of the injury.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May’s head was covered with blood, and Daisy fought back a wave of vomit when she saw a few small white pieces in her hair. The woman’s head had been hit, hard, and somehow she must’ve lost a piece of her skull. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, ah, okay,” she stammered. “May, can you hear me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No response came from the limp body. Daisy fidgeted with her fingers, at a complete loss for what to do. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please,</span>
  </em>
  <span> May.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She briefly thought of momentarily abandoning May to get Trip, then decided against it in case she got worse while she was gone or something.</span>
</p><p><span>Daisy tried blindly to remember field medic training Simmons had given her, back on the Bus.</span> <span>“Okay,” she said aloud, to ground herself. “This is an open head injury, and it’s probably linear, judging by the blood and the fact that you’re-” she swallowed,”- alive. I need… I need to stop the bleeding,” she sighed as she finally had something to do other than just waiting. </span></p><p>
  <span>Daisy pulled off her jacket and very gently tied it around May’s head, grimacing as how the black fabric quickly became tainted red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gonna be fine,” she reassured the unconscious woman shakily. “Absolutely fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she finished diminishing some of the blood flow, she felt somebody walking up behind her. She quickly turned around to shoot them in the face but then relaxed when she realized it was Trip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Omigod,” He muttered, horrified, upon seeing the extent of May’s injury. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Comms are down, and the crew is all dead.” she informed him. “Can- can you figure out a way to communicate to Coulson?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… I can try,” he responded, still looking at May, horrified, before prying his eyes away. “She’s alive, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For now.” Daisy choked as she pulled her SO gently into her lap. “Help is </span>
  <em>
    <span>hours</span>
  </em>
  <span> away,” she groaned in despair, fighting back tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s strong, she’ll make it,” he reassured her as he tried contacting Fitz. “I may need to go above ground. What even happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know; blunt force trauma, most likely,” she responded shortly. “Going to the upper level is smart, though. Maybe the signal will be better up there. Can you carry her?” He nodded and gently picked May up, careful not to touch her head for fear of an infection. The amount of blood that trickled through his fingers made Daisy a little dizzy. “Let’s go,” she said, before she lost the strength to stand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They slowly made their way up the stairs, careful not to shake May or anything. Daisy vaguely remembered Simmons telling her to handle concussive patients slowly and not abruptly, and this was 100% a hundred times worse than a concussion, from the looks of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Though,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she tried in vain to reassure herself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>head wounds usually look worse than they actually are.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they hit the sunny, fresh air of the surface, Trip laid Melinda down on Daisy’s lap, making sure her head wasn’t on the cool concrete, and then pulled some things out of his backpack as he tried to establish another signal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy tried to avoid looking at May’s head, instead choosing to look out at the water; the endless murky waves crashing against the rig.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if she never wakes up?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if she has brain damage?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if she forgets you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy choked back a sob and looked back down at May. Her mouth was in a little frown; the one she usually used when she or Simmons were messing around and pranking Fitz or Mack. She looked peaceful, almost, as if she hadn’t just sustained a life threatening injury.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Daisy, I made contact!” Trip informed her. She looked up with interest as voices came through a set of bulky comm devices used for emergencies.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“- Daisy- Trap- Mission- May-”</span>
  </em>
  <span> The comms crackled. “It isn’t very stable,” Trip apologized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can they hear you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” He pressed a button. “This is Agent Triplett; we are stranded on the oil rig. All the floors were clear; we think it was a trap. Agent May is down. She has a head injury, but she’s got a pulse. We need a medical team,” He relayed into the comms box.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Understood- Will take time- is that-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“They heard me, at least,” he shrugged, worry showing in his eyes and in the tension of his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>2 hours-</span>
  </em>
  <span>” suddenly came out of the box. Daisy groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have two hours,” she snapped. “We might not even have 2 </span>
  <em>
    <span>minutes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she cried, a tear landing on May’s jacket. “There’s just so much </span>
  <em>
    <span>blood</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she croaked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trip continued trying to elaborate on May’s condition through the panicked voices alternating with static until they heard a British tilt go, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Daisy? Daisy!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Simmons? What do I do?” Daisy pleaded.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wake her up, Daisy, </span>
  </em>
  <span>now</span>
  <em>
    <span>, you don’t want her unconscious like this. She’ll be in pain but she must be awake to tell you her symptoms and how severe the injury is.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy gritted her teeth and gently shook May’s shoulder. “May? You gotta wake up, May.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to do better than that,” Trip sighed. “I know you don’t want to hurt her but we have to do whatever it takes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy took in a deep breath and then rocked May harder and quicker, hoping that she would wake up. When that failed, she whispered, “Sorry, May,” and slapped her across the face, holding her skull steady so that her head wouldn’t get any worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She breathed a sigh of relief when her mentor’s eyes fluttered open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s awake,” Trip relayed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can she talk?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“May? Say something, May,” Daisy prodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May furrowed her brows together as she tried to focus glassy eyes on Daisy’s face. “Bright,” she complained as she squinted. Daisy moved her head over her body further to get her shadow over May’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She can talk, I think,” she told Simmons.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Good! That’s good. Now I need you to ask her what she remembers before she got hit.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“May, what do you remember from this mission?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was quiet for a moment, before shaking her head a little. “Don’t know, can’t remember,” she mumbled with a light slur.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s, uh-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“-not good.” Daisy finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Simmons continued, saying, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Make sure all of her limbs are working; we want to make sure no major nerves were hit.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“May, can you squeeze my hand and move your legs?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After having done so successively, Simmons told her to keep the woman awake until the Zephyr could arrive. Halfway through that speech, comms cut out permanently. “Sorry,” Trip apologized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy sniffed and looked back down at May. “How bad does it hurt?” she asked softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘M fine,” she growled, but it came out weak and scared, which terrified Daisy. May was the strong one; she never sounded this fragile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” she said, deciding not to push her. “Pay attention to the sound of my voice, yeah? And don’t close your eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May nodded slightly, eyelids fluttering, so Daisy decided to tell her a story.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One time, um, oh! Uh, we had a stakeout on a suspected inhuman. You and me. This was way back when I first started field ops with you. We had to go to a large park in disguise, because we were scared the man was a human bomb inhuman and he frequented areas with children. We didn’t want to approach him aggressively and set him off. We went undercover as mother and daughter, but you were still on some pain medication from a previous mission injury,” she said with a little smile. She noticed Trip moving away to another area of the surface of the rig, giving them a little privacy, but staying close enough to help if she needed him</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At some point, we were sitting on a park bench, and some kid came up to us, remember?” She asked, seeing how May’s eyes had begun to close. She shook her gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmhmm.” she murmured, the corner of her mouth twitching up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He asked you if ‘your daughter’ could come play soccer with him, and you momentarily forgot your cover, which was so surprising, cause, ya know, it was <em>you.</em> And funny. And you stared straight at him and said, “Who?” even as my head was resting on your shoulder. Jemma and Coulson were losing it over comms, remember? And then the little kid gestured at me, and you looked at me like you’d never seen me in your life and then said, “Sorry, I don’t have any kids. I don’t know who this is.” And, I think, then he just left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy had no idea why she was telling the quite boring story, but at that point, she was just rambling, trying to give her mentor something to focus on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I pointed out exactly what our undercover mission was and I could tell you were kicking yourself internally.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate undercover,” Melinda murmured with a little smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you do,” Daisy said with a little sniffle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to know why?” May asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why what?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why I denied it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, why?” Daisy asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was scared admitting it would make it real,” she murmured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“May, you must be confused. It was our </span>
  <em>
    <span>cover</span>
  </em>
  <span>-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I didn’t want to say it because I’d always avoided saying or thinking the word daughter when it came to you, starting weeks before that mission. Admitting it then would make me acknowledge how much you really meant to me, even if we were undercover,” she coughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy stared at her, dumbfounded. “Sorry- are you saying…” she didn’t say it aloud, for fear of being way off the mark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you like a daughter.” She whispered, closing her eyes, going limp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, hey, May, stay awake.” Daisy barely had time to register what she’d said as she poked her SO's cheek a little. Thankfully, May inhaled deeply and opened her eyes again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She groaned. “ ‘Was lying. Not fine, hurts,” she admitted quietly. Daisy tried not to cry. Melinda May almost never admitted pain unless it was super bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there anything I can do?” She asked. “Help is on the way, not much longer, May, not much longer,” she tried to reassure her. May grabbed her wrist weakly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m barely holding on,” she whispered, the raw fear laced in her admission chilling Daisy to the bone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“May, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Don’t say that. Hold on. You’re strong, it’s not that bad,” she lied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May gave a raspy huff. “Cold,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without a second thought, Daisy stripped off her shirt, leaving only her sports bra underneath, ignoring the chills that began wracking her body after the high tech heat conserving fabric left her body. The ocean breeze made her shiver involuntarily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” she gently placed it over her jacket already on May’s head, trying to warm her up. She vaguely remembered from Jemma how the skull was supposed to remain warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May groaned and swallowed, shifting in her embrace. Daisy continued to hold her, at a loss for what to do, very close to having a panic attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She held on by a thread.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without thinking too much about it, she began humming; a slower song she used to like a lot. She looked out at the water as she then began to sing the lyrics, trying to distract both her and May.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Something always, brings me back to you,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It never takes too long.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No matter what I, say or do,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I'll still feel you here, 'till the moment I'm gone,”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped momentarily, looking down at May, who now had her eyes fully open, but still unfocused. “Keep going,” she encouraged softly, then shifted with a grimace.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You hold me without touch,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You keep me without chains,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And not feel your reign.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>May grabbed her hand again and squeezed it, weakly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Set me free, leave me be;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Here I am, and I stand, so, tall, just the way I'm supposed to be,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But you're on to me, and all over me,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> She continued to sing softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a sad song,” May mumbled. Daisy sniffed and laughed humorlessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Makes me think of Ward. But the song’s real pretty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May made a face at the mention of Ward. Daisy startled a little at how freely May was showing her emotions. Normally, she kept up a stoic mask that only Coulson could read, and recently, Daisy could decipher some of her little tells, but here she was fully showing exactly what she thought. It was unnerving, and, frankly, terrifying. It meant May didn’t have enough strength to keep her mask up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trying to ease her nerves, she continued singing.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, you loved me, 'cause I'm fragile;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When I thought that I was strong.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But you touch me for a, little while,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And all my fragile strength is gone.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely Ward,” Melinda mumbled. Daisy smiled a little and continued to a faster part of the song.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I live here on my knees, as I, try to make you see,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That you're- everything I think I need, here on the ground.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But you're neither friend nor foe, though I, can't seem to let you go… </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You're keeping me down, ooh;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You're on to me, on to me, and all over... ”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy trailed off, finishing all of the song that she remembered. May hummed a little in her arms. “I didn't know you could sing. You’re good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neither did I, really.” Daisy admitted. “And thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Trip came over. “Sorry to bother you, but remember how you sometimes would vibrate a little; purr, to heal your bones? Like cats do?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you could do it to her? Ease the pain a little,” he suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy looked doubtfully down at May, who was still humming the chorus of the song. “What if I do it too hard and it hurts her?” She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do it to yourself all the time,” he shrugged. “You know your powers, but…” he trailed off, worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy sighed a little and shifted May closer to her chest, getting her head right above her heart. “I’m going to try something, May, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May whimpered her assent, making Daisy’s heart clench painfully. She cradled the woman’s body in her arms as she began to send micro vibrations toward May,, letting them wash over both her and her mentor. She exhaled in relief as she felt May relax into her arms, her face losing its tension and beginning to look a little blissful. “It’s working,” Daisy whispered, smiling. Trip grinned slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad.” he walked over and sat next to the pair. “Hey- I know you handle 90% of the bets in the compound; but there’s a secret one running about who admits to whom that y'all are basically mother and daughter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy smiled in surprise as she continued purring. “Who bet on what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trip grinned. “Well, Hunter owes me 50 bucks. He swore that Agent May would never admit anything; same as Fitz, though Fitz only owes 10 bucks. Jemma bet it would be you as well.” His face clouded. “Just wish it wasn’t in these circumstances.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bit her lip. “ ‘Course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a similar one on you and Coulson, too.” he admitted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy laughed. “He’s been like my surrogate dad since forever, just not explicitly out loud. I’d say anyone who bet on him admitting it first will win.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trip groaned playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her movement caused May to shift again, grumbling. “You two know that bets aren’t allowed. If I get better, I’m going to kick your asses six ways to Sunday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When.” Daisy corrected, her mouth suddenly very dry. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>When</span>
  </em>
  <span> you get better, you’ll beat me and Trip and Hunter up, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mainly Hunter.” May murmured with a small grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mainly Hunter,” Daisy agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I meant what I said earlier, you know.” May poked Daisy’s chest weakly. “I really do love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy smiled widely. “I love you too, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mom,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she said, ready to pass it off as a joke in case May retreated. Instead, the woman hummed contentedly and snuggled more into Daisy’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom,” she whispered again, trying it out for real, since May hadn’t objected. She continued purring, but had to stop once she saw it was putting May to sleep. Her mentor groaned at the sudden pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, May,” she apologized, trying not to cry. “I need you awake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grunted but assented, furrowing her brow and frowning. “Hurts,” she whimpered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” she murmured. “It’ll be okay.” She said, trying to convince both her and May.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next two excruciating hours passed as Daisy alternated between purring and soothing May. It really was a wonder she hadn’t died yet, even though that was a morbid thing to think about. Her condition seemed to worsen as time went by, her full sentences slipping away and turning into semi-conscious mumbles. She vomited over 5 times, and would sometimes space out for a few minutes at a time. Daisy tried to quench her worry and recalled old operations and little things that made her happy, like the prank war between her and Fitz, to distract May. Every five minutes, she had to remind May to hold on; that Coulson was coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, May coughed hoarsely and said, “Dais, ‘ve held on t’long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Daisy shook her head vigorously. “No, no. You’re Melinda May; a survivor. You gotta hold on. Coulson’s coming soon, May. He and Jemma a-and F-fitz and they’ll help you, I promise.” She begged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t- remember.” she murmured, eyes clenched tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“<em>That’s okay, May</em>,” she sobbed. “That’s okay. Hold on, alright?” She grabbed May’s hand and squeezed it tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn't... ever tell you how proud I was.” she whispered; her first full, coherent sentence in an hour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it, May; I know,” She sniffed, fat tears finally breaking and rolling down her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“L’ve you,” she mumbled, so quiet Daisy wasn’t sure she’d even said anything at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you too, May. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mom</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Hold on, okay? Just- hold on,” she pleaded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trip shouted eagerly as a large shadow overtook the rig.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Zephyr.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re here, okay? They’re here.” She said. “May, </span>
  <em>
    <span>c’mon,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she sobbed, but the woman had had enough. Daisy felt her going limp in her arms as she lost the ability to breathe. Through her tears, she saw May’s face go lax and didn’t even notice when strong hands wrapped around her forearms and someone tried to pick up May. She screamed, at the world, at May, at whoever was separating her from her </span>
  <em>
    <span>mom</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone was talking in front of her as they pried May’s body out of her arms. There were people everywhere, and through her blurry vision she could see May being put on a stretcher as she cried what was left inside of her hollow body. She pushed away whoever was holding her and staggered towards the edge of the oil rig, placing her hands on the low concrete wall to steady herself as she cried, and the rig began to Quake violently. She couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t see anything except for May’s body going slack, like a loop in her head, repeating again and again and burning itself into her eyes. She felt the vibrations getting worse and worse as someone tried to comfort her, but she blindly quaked them away while she was still looking out at the ocean. Bruises crawled their way up her arms as her bones began to fracture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy then felt a sharp pain in between her shoulder blades; a cold creeping up from the spot, rapidly causing all her muscles to relax as she passed out into strong arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.o.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy slowly opened her bleary eyes to her quiet bunk and a killer headache. The light was out, but she could make out a figure sitting in the chair by her desk, sleeping with steady breaths. Coulson. She rolled her stiff neck and felt the casts on her arms, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she let out a loud sob, crying May’s name out hoarsely as she remembered.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She was- She was-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy couldn’t even put it into words. She clutched at her arms and pulled her knees into her, choking on air, not noticing how Coulson had woken up from the sounds of her cries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hey,” he grabbed her shoulders as he sat on the bed. She couldn’t meet his eyes, now wanting to see the pain in them; the proof that she was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“May,” she cried, curling herself up into his arms as he held her, holding her head and slowly running his fingers through her hair. “She’s dead,” she sobbed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coulson’s hands stilled. “What?” he asked with genuine confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up at him and only saw a tired face; not a grieving one. “May?” she asked, with a small voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s alive,” he reassured her, furrowing his brows. “She’s injured; and it’ll take time to heal, but she’s alive, Daisy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy cried in relief and buried her head into his arms, listening to his heartbeat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry we had to Ice you,” he murmured. “But the whole rig was going to come down. Probably because you thought she...” he trailed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy stayed there in his embrace for a few minutes, curled up on her bed, listening to him breathe and trying to match his inhales and exhales. She then slowly pulled away, wiping at her eyes. “Can I see her?” She asked. She had to make sure. She had to see her with her own eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coulson smiled a little, understanding. “Sure.” He got up to leave, but Daisy pleaded, “Wait, um.” He turned around. She flushed, feeling embarrassed that she was breaking down like this, that she was being so weak. She pushed the thought away and asked quietly, “Can you come with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “Of course. I’ll be right outside.” She nodded back shakily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left, leaving her alone to dwell in her relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>May’s alive.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My mom’s alive.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy smiled, but then immediately sobered when thinking about all the brain damage she might have. Quickly, she pulled on an old shirt that coincidentally she stole from May a week ago, then cleaned her hands of her blood. She fought the urge to vomit as the copper smell filled her bathroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slipped out and joined Coulson, and then they walked to the medbay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of silence, Daisy spoke. </span>
  <span>“She called me her daughter.” It was absurd, but she had to put it out there. She needed someone to know, to make it feel more real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coulson grinned over at her. “She’s felt that way for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So have I,” she smiled, looking at her shoes. “And, uh,” she exhaled loudly out of her nose, “You’re like a dad to me too. So.” She didn’t look up, worried about his reaction, then startled when he put his hand on her shoulder. </span>
  <span>“I feel the same way,” he said with a smile. Daisy sighed in relief; her mom was alive, and she had two people she could call her parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They arrived at the medbay, and Coulson led her to the furthest room in the hallway. “You were out for sixteen hours, by the way.” he told her as they paused in the doorway. “She’s woken up a couple of times already, but she’s fairly out of it. She made me go stay with you because she was worried, plus I was kinda smothering her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were.” May agreed weakly from her bed. They both turned to see her in her bed, her head bandaged up. She had an alarming amount of wires and tubes around her but she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Daisy walked up to her and sat in a chair next to her. Coulson mouthed ‘I’ll be outside’, and she nodded and turned towards her ment- her mom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” she said softly. May had a tad bit of a dreamy smile on her face; meaning she was on some heavy medication.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How, um- how are you feeling?” She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. How are you?” She asked pleasantly, as if she hadn't been on her deathbed merely sixteen hours ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Daisy laughed. “I can’t believe you’re asking that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May quirked the corner of her mouth up. “I heard you almost took the oil rig down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she flushed. “I’m sorry. I lost control; I forgot what you taught me and I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Daisy,” May insisted. “It’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy gave her mentor a watery smile before losing control and trying to hug her aggressively but gently. May laughed lightly from beneath her bear hug; a sweet, rare sound. Daisy pulled back, wiping at her damp eyes with her palms. “So, are you going to kick Hunter’s ass anytime soon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Planning on it,” she responded with a smirk, then frowned. “But I’m stuck here for the next couple of weeks, then bedrest for a month after that. I won’t be back in ops for </span>
  <em>
    <span>half a year,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she whined; such an un-May like sound Daisy stifled a laugh and grabbed her hand, holding it close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ll have me. And Dad,” she added, which elicited another smile from May. “So, who’s winning </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bet?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trip.” Daisy responded with a smile. She hesitated, then told Melinda, “I love you, mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you too, Daisy,” she murmured as she drifted off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy held her relaxed hand and put it to her chin, her knuckles covered in calluses but with palms as soft as silk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom.” she repeated, and smiled.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I live off comments and kudos (and insulin lol) if there are any diabetics can you leave any tips or advice you have below? Thanks lovelies!</p><p>
  <a href="https://natasharmnov.tumblr.com/">My Tumblr</a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
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